When a ligament or tendon becomes detached from the bone, surgery is usually required to re-secure the ligament or tendon. Often, a substitute ligament or graft is attached to the bone to facilitate regrowth and permanent attachment. The reattachment procedure involves drilling of a graft tunnel between two bones (for example, the tibia and the femur) and securing the substitute ligament or graft in the tunnel.
To achieve optimal results, it is important that the substitute ligament or graft be properly tensioned in the graft tunnel. The tension of the graft prior to fixation must be sufficient in order to achieve stability, but not so excessive that it captures the joint. Tensioning of the graft after the graft is partially in place in the tibial tunnel is also cumbersome.
Accordingly, a need exists for a method for attaching soft tissue to bone which allows the tendon to be securely placed in a bone tunnel and to remain properly tensioned until the ligaments naturally attach to bone. A method of threading suture through a tendon with maximum suture fixation strength, as well as a method of securing the tendon to bone that allows for accelerated tendon healing to bone are also needed.